Reparo Part 1 of 'A Fierce New Sun' series
by Rsuth
Summary: Part One of the 'A Fierce New Sun' series, Reparo follows Harry and Hermione in the months following the Battle of Hogwarts as they try to put a life together out of everything that was broken. Hurt/Comfort, Family, and Romance, with a focus on Hermione.
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER ONE

It was over. As Tom Riddle's body fell to the ground for the last time students, teachers, Order members, and all who had joined in the fight again Voldemort and his forces were quiet. The death eaters and army of the dark who were battling against the light also stopped in mid-curse, and watched their powerful master fall to the floor as easily as any mortal. The dawn sun suddenly blazed through the castle's east windows and broken walls and illuminated the thick dust that hung in the air from the battle, and covered the shoulders and hair of all in the castle. For a moment, the intensity of the light created an almost beautiful scene, washing out the blood stains and rubble that littered the floors and walls, and cast the room in a warm glittering glow.

Harry Potter raised his head toward the light, feeling overwhelmingly emotional as "a fierce new sun" (_J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pg. 745_) rose over the death of Voldemort, and seemed to wash away the weight and fear of the past seven years. He slowly turned his head to look around him and saw Hermione smiling at him with tears on her cheeks from across the room, mirroring his emotions in her face. He continued to look around him and saw the sun light up the room, illuminating his friends, classmates, professors, and Order members as they stood ready to give up their lives for the greater good. Disbelief marked the faces of all who witnessed Voldemort's final battle, but after the body remained still and marred on the floor for long moments the school erupted around Harry Potter.

"FOR HOGWARTS!" Harry bellowed as he jumped into the suddenly raging battle, hearing his call echoed around the room by others. The battle suddenly gained a new intensity as the Light realized that the Dark leader was dead, and they now only need to get rid of Voldemort's followers to win. The noise in the Grand Hall was deafening with the shouts and screams of both sides, and crashes and vibrations as Hogwart's walls were blasted with missed curses and spells. Harry ran through the throngs, cutting down Death Eaters and giant spiders as they came in his path, trying to find Hermione and Ron. He spotted Hermione tiredly holding off two Death Eaters in the corner of the room, and from the corner of his eye saw a black mass of curly hair circling up behind her, unseen. Bellatrix LeStrange, Harry recognized, shuddering as he remembered what she had done to Hermione. Of course the bitch had lived through the battle so far.

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE! BEHIND YOU!" He shouted out frantically as he saw the maniacal woman raise her wand to his girlfriend. He was trapped in the battle, unable to move forward to get to her. Hermione, amazingly, heard his voice calling her name, and with a quick turn of her head saw Bellatrix LeStrange coming toward her. As he watched, Hermione surprised the two Death Eaters she was fighting with a spell that threw them against the wall and knocked them out. She left them there as she turned to face Bellatrix, the woman walking around her in a slow semi-circle, like an animal who has cornered its pray. Harry could see Hermione keep her face neutral and her back rigid as she faced her enemy. Suddenly Bellatrix lunged her wand forward.

"Crucio!" Harry heard her cry, and the curse burst through Hermione's quick protection spell. Hermione fell to her hands and knees, trying not to scream as the curse rippled through her. Harry renewed his frantic pushing through the people around him, but he was just too far away. Suddenly, Hermione's hand grasped her wand from where it had fell beside her hand and a protective bubble shot up around her, protecting her trembling body from the curse. Harry was amazed that she had been able to throw off the Unforgivable, especially given the weak state her body had been in even before the Battle. Harry noticed another person walking towards the two women; Neville was walking up behind Bellatrix, wand drawn, staring at Hermione over the maniac's shoulder. Harry knew he was determined to give the woman payback for robbing his parents of their sanity. Hermione gave Neville an almost imperceptible nod, and quickly dropped her shield, as she and Neville yelled a curse at Bellatrix simultaneously .

"CRUCIO!"

Bellatrix dropped to the ground writhing and screaming as she suffered a double hit of the curse that had been her torture specialty. Hermione and Neville walked towards the woman on the floor, holding the curse on her. Neville let his tears run down his face, in memory of his parents Harry assumed, and Hermione watched the woman writhe with a hard face. The woman begged and pleaded with them to let up the curse, but they ignored her.

"You're dead, LeStrange," Neville yelled at the woman with punctuated words, "This is for every person who has ever suffered at your hand. This is for my parents…" he choked out. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Bellatrix LeStrange laid still on the floor in front of them. Hermione turned to look at Neville and took his hand. He smiled back at her through his tears.

"We have a war to win." Neville regained his grip on the Sword of Gryffindor and his wand, and lunged back into the throng of the battle with a renewed energy. Hermione stood for a moment, just watching the battle in the Grand Hall and perhaps taking a moment to recuperate, and Harry saw Ron run over to join her. He knew Ron would stay with her, so Harry turned his full attention back to the battle with a racing heartbeat, seeing that the Light now vastly outnumbered the dark and that only a few straggling Death Eaters were left in the hall.

Not long after, the mood of the battle started to calm, the earlier intensity dying down as the last Death Eaters were taken down. Suddenly, Harry could see people stopping and looking around them, searching for more enemies but not finding them. A quiet covered the castle once again as the Light took a silent moment to realize that they had just won. It erupted moments later into clamour and every occupant of the castle started cheering and shooting up sparks of light into the air. Harry wanted to join them, but needed to find his friends first. He pushed his way through the crowd, smiling at his classmates and friends. He stopped as he saw Ron and Hermione feet away from him, seemingly looking for him as well. He launched himself at his friends with a hunger, needing to know they were alive and fine, and grabbed them together in a hug. Hermione was sobbing where she had wrapped herself around Harry's neck, and he could feel her warm tears dripping onto his shoulder. Ron had one strong arm around Harry's shoulders, and the other around Hermione's back, and was smiling at Harry with unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Harry uttered loud enough for only his friends to hear. He could only imagine what they had gone through when they saw Hagrid carrying him to Hogwarts. Hermione lifted her scratched and dirty face from Harry's shoulder and gave him her brilliant smile.

"You did it Harry, it's over!" Harry smiled back at her and Ron, and used his thumbs to wipe , the remaining tears off her face.

"No Hermione, _we _did it, I could have never finished this without you and Ron by my side, I owe you both everything." He looked at Ron, whom hadn't said anything to him yet, and was greeted by a clap on the back from the speechless Ron.

"I don't know what we would have done without ya, mate", he finally uttered, hastily wiping away a few tears that escaped as he said this.

They beamed at each other for a few moments before remembering the crowd of people around them. All around them, people were cheering, hugging, and watching the three friends. Noticing their attention was back on the crowd around them, a new set of cheers erupted for the three, and the crowd rushed in towards them for congratulations.


	2. Chapter 2

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER TWO

Ron, whose face and ears were flushed red with the attention, saw his family standing together at the outside of the crowd. He looked beside him at Hermione, who was smiling around her and swaying slightly on her feet, keeping one arm wrapped around Harry's neck. It had been a long few days, no a long _year,_ and their adrenaline was starting to die down. He reached for Hermione's hand, and pointed at his family. She smiled and nodded, and after he braced a supportive arm around her waist Ron attempted to push against the crowd to get to his family. Harry stayed where he was as everyone was trying to get close to shake his hand and share their thanks. He was too elated about the death of Voldemort to mind at that moment.

Ron was finally able to maneuver himself and Hermione out of the crowd, and they were instantly grabbed together into a hug by Molly Weasley. Although there had been a break in the battle earlier in the day, there had not been much time to spend with his family, most of which he had not seen for almost a year with the exception of Bill and Fleur. His mother finally let him go, and with a happy shout of "Son!" Arthur Weasley wrapped his arms around his tall son next. Ron was passed around the family, and he didn't bother wiping away his tears this time. It hadn't been easy to leave them for so long. He was so used to being part of the large caring family, so not speaking to or seeing them for so long had been part of the reason Ron had a tough time dealing with the journey to find the Horcruxes, although he was sure only Hermione had realized this. He had been so relieved when he had seen Bill, and then learned about Potterwatch on the radio, as he then knew his family was relatively safe. He did not know how it happened, but his whole family had made it through the battle. He was almost certain he was not going to get through the battle alive. Mum, Dad, Fred, George, Ginny, Percy, Bill, Charlie, and Fleur looked scraped, bruised, and dirty, but everyone was smiling back at him as they hugged and greeted him.

After the last member of the family, Bill, hugged him and clapped him on the back, Ron looked back for Hermione, having expected her to be passed around in the same fashion, and saw that Molly still had her in her grasp. Hermione was leaning limply against his mum, and Molly had an arm around her, grasping her elbow. She didn't seem to notice the older woman's worried watch over her, but was smiling as she watched Ron's family lovingly greet him, with her own happy tears making tracks down her cheeks. With a worried thought, Ron started making his way back to his mum and Hermione, but was diverted by the appearance of other Order members who had come by to congratulate them all, and bring Harry to them.

As hands were shaken, and hugs exchanged between the Order, Weasleys, and Harry, Harry caught Ron's eye from across the group and looked at Hermione, who was still protected in Molly Weasley's grasp. With a shared look, they both got away from whoever was in front of them and both made their way to Hermione and Molly. Ron reached them first, and took Hermione's free hand.

"All right, 'Mione?" He hadn't been able to get a good look at her before, but as his eyes skimmed down her body he saw cuts and bruises that hadn't been there hours before, and blood stains on her clothing. Beneath the dirt and blood her skin looked quite pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. He wondered if he looked like she did, but figured he didn't as he felt pretty good, minus a few cuts and tender burns. Molly gave him a worried look; she thought of Hermione as her second daughter.

Harry reached them as Ron was discretely checking Hermione over, and she moved away from Molly to wrap her free arm around Harry, and lay her cheek against his chest, keeping her hand tucked in Ron's. Molly's face showed both worry and pleasure, as she clued in to Harry and Hermione's budding relationship at that movement. Harry smiled at Hermione's hug, and laid his own cheek in her hair, quietly repeating the same question as Ron.

"All right, Mione? Are you hurt? I'm sorry I didn't check before". Although Harry kept a smile on his face, he thought about how the body he embraced was now too thin and boney, and how Hermione was still suffering pain in her muscles and joints as a consequence of her severe Cruciatus torture. He could feel her trembling against his body and was instantly worried, thinking back to all she had suffered in the past year, weeks and days.

"No Ron, Harry, I'm okay. I think I'm just tired. Do you guys remember when we last slept, even?"

Harry chuckled faintly at this question, knowing that they really hadn't slept in days, but feeling to elated about Voldemort to worry about it right then. He knew she wasn't fine, but sensed she didn't want to draw attention to her problems at this moment; they had yet to tell Ron about her continuing cruciatus pains.

"I'm pretty sure it was over two days ago. What day is it even today?" The three friends all lightly laughed at Harry's answer, none of them really knowing the answer. Hermione smiled her thanks to Harry, knowing he was playing along with her.

They didn't realize Bill had come up to them and was now standing beside Molly, having sensed all was not well with Hermione with his wolf-like super-senses.

"Mum, I think we should find somewhere here at the school we can all go and relax for a while," Bill quietly told his mother, indicating the three friends. To his sharp eyes and senses, Harry and Ron were scraped, bruised, dirty, and a little too thin for healthy, but their heartbeats were strong and regular when he concentrated on listening to them. With some sleep and a month of solid meals they would be physically fine. He considered Hermione to be another younger sister to him, and was worried when he took in her pale, thin appearance and irregular heartbeat; he knew she had and was suffering, and sensed it was more than just the repercussions from the battle. As he was discretely looking Hermione over, without trying to make her uncomfortable, his wife Fleur came to stand beside him and saw his worried eyes on the younger girl, sending him a questioning look.

"Oui, Molly, we should find a place to rest for a while, before they start to clean up 'Ogwarts." Fleur said softly in her French accent, giving Hermione a small smile where she was still leaning on Harry. Bill squeezed his wife's hand in silent thanks.

Molly clapped her hands together, and beamed as the loudly talking crowd of the Weasleys, Order, Harry, and Hermione, slowly turned to look at her.

"Okay everyone; let's find a place in the castle to rest for a while. I'd love to take you all back to the Burrow but we haven't been home in quite a while and don't know what state it is in, so let's just stay here for now until we can check it out." The group agreed with Molly, as they were all needing to rest and heal their wounds before worrying about the aftermath of the Battle. With the exception of Kingsley, who was needed at the ministry to give a statement and report on the Battle, and Remus and Tonks, who were eager to get to the Tonks' to see baby Teddy, the group started to slowly walk through the school about an hour later, after McGonagall had advised they stay in the intact Gryffindor tower with a few other survivors.

Harry and Hermione walked slowly behind the boisterous group. It was slow moving as they had to walk around the piles of rubbles and glass, and avoid walking in puddles of blood. Everyone had joined in moving the bodies-Death Eaters to the edge of the grounds, and the Light into the Great Hall. The severely hurt had been helped up into the Hospital wing, where healers from St. Mungos were hard at work. The rest could wait for now. Although Harry was jubilant about Voldemort's fall, he wanted nothing more than to get his girlfriend to a safe place to rest for a while, without being asked questions of where they had been over the past year. The time would come when they would share the whole story, the three had agreed before the Battle, but it wouldn't be tonight.

Now that the group was no longer paying attention to the two stragglers, Hermione leaned on Harry heavily, knowing he didn't need an explanation for her behaviour. Harry tightened his grip on her, planting his lips on her forehead for a soft kiss.

"Harry, do you think the Room of Requirement would repair itself after that fire?" Hermione inquired softly. Harry knew that she had just solved their problems of wanting rest and solidarity, if the room was still intact.

"It is a magical room, maybe it would repair itself if we asked it to." Hermione shook her head in confirmation to his words.

Harry knew they needed to let Ron know where they were heading, or he would panic at their disappearance. He concentrated in staring at Ron from where he was walking up ahead, getting teased by Ginny and the twins by the looks of it, and he turned around to look at Harry after sensing he was being stared at. At the nod of Harry's head, Ron excused himself from his siblings and walked back to the trailing pair, staring worriedly at Hermione.

"Ron, we're going to go up to the Room of Requirement and see if it will turn into a resting place for us. We both need some peace and quiet for a little while. Without saying, you're welcome to join us if you like, but I think your family needs to be with you for a while." Ron shook his head in acknowledgement.

"I'll come find you guys after we all rest for a bit. It seems surreal, though, doesn't it? Hours ago, we were fighting in a battle that could have been the end of our lives, and now I'm going to take a nap." Ron shook his head, still not able to process all that had happened in the past days. A smile slowly made its way onto his face. "But you know what? We're alive. We made it through the past year, so for now I'm just going to forget about it, and enjoy my nap, and hopefully get something to eat." Harry laughed at his friend and brother, and grasped Ron's shoulder with his free hand, trying to silently show him how grateful he was that Ron was still Ron. Ron repeated the same motion with Harry, and then cupped his hand to Hermione's pale cheek. "You two go get some rest. We'll see each other in a few hours; I know that for sure now." With that, Ron turned around and caught up with his family.

Harry slowly turned himself and Hermione around, and started slowly heading for the ruined stairs that would lead to the Room of Requirement on the 5th floor. He noticed Hermione had been quiet for some time, and looking down he saw her eyes were shut and her white face pinched, now that noone was around to see her. Harry was carrying a lot of her weight against him, and was starting to tire, light as she was. After all, he thought wryly to himself, he had just died and been resurrected only a few hours ago, and with that on top of fighting a long battle he was allowed to be a bit tired.

As if reading hid mind, as she often did, Hermione lifted her head to look at Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry. You've been through so much, and here I am making you practically carrying me. I shouldn't be so selfish…" Harry smiled at her ability to see through him.

"No, it's okay. I am tired, but by all rights I'm surprised you're even able to stand right now, so just let me help you." Hermione nodded her head, then leaned it back down on his shoulder. Being exhausted must take away her will to argue, Harry mused tiredly.

Harry heard someone coming up behind them and instinctively placed his free hand on his wand as he turned his head quickly. It was Bill and Fleur, who looked as though they were headed towards them.

Harry stopped walking and allowed the pair to catch up to them, moving Hermione so she could lean against his chest. After they did, Bill hesitated as though trying to figure out what to say and instead held his arms out towards Hermione, waiting for Harry's permission. Harry nodded, and carefully unwound his arm from around Hermione as Bill replaced his position, gently putting his other strong arm behind her knees and lifting her up to rest against his chest. Hermione started at the change of position, not recognizing the bulky arms and chest of whoever was holding her, and opened her eyes to see Bill smiling down at her.

"I've finally swept you off your feet, Hermione, you can't deny it now," he joked cheezily, as they all laughed. Hermione put her arm around Bill's shoulder and laid her head against him, feeling safe with the man she thought of as her big brother. "Just close your eyes, little sis, you'll be able to get some rest soon," Bill's voice spoke softly to her as they started to move again. Hermione complied. Her surroundings had been getting gradually fuzzy and farther away since the battle ended, as were her sharp aches and pains, so she left herself knowingly fall into a comforting oblivious darkness for the first time since the death of Albus Dumbledore.


	3. Chapter 3

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER THREE

Hermione felt her body give an unconscious painful jerk, as if she was falling, and concentrated on bringing her focus back to whatever was happening around her as she kept her eyes closed. She was still being carried, but they had stopped walking and no one was speaking.

"Hold on Hermione, don't try to move too much," came Harry's soft voice from somewhere in front of her. She took his welcome advice and kept her head down on Bill's shoulder. After what seemed like an hour to her fuzzy mind, Hermione heard a door creak open, then slam behind then. She could hear voices around her, two deep and one light, but couldn't figure out what was being said. Suddenly, she felt herself being moved and then softness underneath her body. A warm hand was suddenly on her forehead, one she was sure she knew even in her hazy state, and she struggled to open her eyes to confirm what she already knew.

"Harry," she muttered seeing him above her. She took in his dirty, bloodied clothing and skin, and dark-ringed eyes and was suddenly worried about him. How could she have allowed herself to be coddled when Harry needed her? She tenderly hooked her elbows behind her back and started to slowly push her way to sitting. She hissed as she felt her aching body burn with the movement, and then stopped moving as Harry put his firm hand on shoulder.

"You're hurt! I need to take care of you, Harry!" She muttered with as much indignation as she could manage, confused when he just simply gave her a crooked smile.

"Hermione, you have been taking care of me for the past year without fail or complaint. Now please, just let me take care of you for a while, I assure you I'm not hurt, just a bit banged up. Now lay back down for me, please" Harry quietly pleaded with her. She stared at him while her mind fought to ignore what he said, but she saw both stubbornness and worry in his eyes and decided to listen to him. She was too tired and muddled to fight back anyways, which was saying something. Hermione allowed Harry to guide her head back down onto the soft surface. She turned it to the side and saw she was lying in a large version of a Gryffindor dorm bed. Bill and Fleur were also standing on the opposite side of her bed, quietly holding hands as they watched her with Harry.

"Where are we? In the tower?" she asked them.

"We went to the Room of Requirement to see if it would still work after the fire, and I guess this means it repaired itself. We need a quiet space to rest for a while." Harry's voice was starting to sound farther away as she closed her eyes, focusing on the warm hand that was back on her face. "I know you would like nothing more than to go to sleep right now, but I need to clean you up first," he continued, "I see some pretty nasty cuts, and who knows what else is underneath all that dirt…" he said, with a forced chuckle in his voice. Hearing his tone of voice, and knowing it to sound strange for Harry, Hermione forced her eyes open and looked up into his worried eyes. The haziness began to lift for a moment, and Hermione grimaced as she became aware of not only the persisting ache of her body, but sharp pains as well.

"Would you like me to stay and help heal you both?" Fleur's voice came quietly from Hermione's side. She had almost forgotten they were in the room for a moment. Harry looked down at her, and she discretely shook her head 'no'.

"Thanks Fleur, but we became pretty good at healing each other in the past year," Bill and Fleur openly grimaced at this, "and Hermione needs treatment by a healer, there's not much we can do right now for her." At this, Fleur opened her mouth to question what Harry had just said, but he gave a sharp shake of her head to quiet her. "Later."

Fleur sent a small smile to Hermione as she made to walk out the door, and Bill leaned over to gently smooth her hair back and give her a light kiss on the forehead. "We'll be back in a few hours to check on you both, we won't tell anyone where you are."

"Thanks. And please tell your Mum that Hermione just needs a good rest, and so do I. There is no need to worry everyone tonight, we'll be fine for now." Harry almost pleaded with Bill, not wanting Molly Weasley to bother them tonight, though he knew she only had good intentions.

Bill nodded in understanding, gave Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze, and followed his wife out the door.

A moment after the door shut Harry left Hermione's side, and through half-opened eyes she watched him walk about the room, exploring what he had created. She watched as he stopped in front of a cupboard, staring at it in deep thought, and then he opened the door pulled out some fluffy towels. Slinging these over his shoulder with a smile on his face at his success, he moved to a small claw-foot tub in the corner of the room and repeated the same process. Hermione smiled as she saw the tub expand to look more like a small pool, much like the bath in the prefect's bathroom.

Harry made his way back over to the bed where she lay and sat down carefully beside her, giving her a shy smile. "Care for a hot bath, Mione?" He knew she wouldn't be able to resist; she had spent the past year wanting a decent hot bath, and instead put up with tepid occasional showers. That was one of the few things Harry could remember her actually vocalizing her complaints about.

She smiled back at him, and made to roll over onto her side to pull her aching weight off the soft bed. She felt Harry's hands grasp around her sides and gently pull her upright and onto the edge of the bed. Once her feet touched the floor again she hissed at the change in position. Harry didn't say anything about her reaction, but she knew it had registered in his ears.

"Bend over a bit, Mione," Harry asked as he began to pull her jumper up her torso, gently pulling it over her bent shoulders and lowered arms so she wouldn't have to strain herself, and threw it onto the floor. Despite the way she felt, she still felt a pleasurable shiver down to her core as his warm hands touched her sides. She noticed Harry's head looking at her fallen shirt, then moving towards her bare skin. She looked in disbelief for a moment at the blood-stains and burns that covered the garment, and also turned her gaze to her bare stomache and arms. She was covered liberally in bruises and grazes, with a few missed burns from the Gringotts escape. She jerked as Harry placed his hand on her side, feeling a sharp pain at his action

"I think you have bruised or cracked ribs," Harry muttered, running his hands up her arms and back, checking for more injuries. He found a darkly bruised gash on her back which was still trickling blood.

"A falling stone I think, and the ribs from hitting a wall," she distantly remembered, as Harry knelt in front of her and began fumbling with the button on her jeans. Bracing her hands on Harry's shoulders, she lifted herself up long enough for him to pull her pants off her legs, after her tattered shoes and socks. Her legs burned as he did this, and she looked down to see bright red and bubbly skin on the back of her legs.

"The fiendfyre..." Harry muttered, "It must have come really close to you to burn you like that."

Hermione's mind flashed to remember their escape on brooms, the fire licking at her legs and she trailed Harry, Ron, Draco, and Crabbe out of the Room of Requirement. She hadn't even registered she was in pain, so focused on getting out and not burning alive. Thinking of the small trade-off these burns were for escaping with her life, she just shrugged her shoulders. She knew Harry understood as he didn't say anything more but started to strip off his own clothes. She grimaced as Harry's uncovered body looked much like her own, an assortment of gashes and bruises, but not too bad considering they had just fought a war. Her eyes followed the pattern made by the marks on his body underneath his dark body hair, and was startled when she felt him reach around her to undo her bra and pull it off, having gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Do you want me to heal you first, or take a bath first?" Harry asked her quietly. She thought about it as she eyed the steaming tub. She knew he wasn't going to be able to heal her properly, so logically knew she should soak in the hot water and clean her body off before her wounds were partially closed.

"Bath," was all she said to Harry

"Okay, we'll take a nice soak in the tub, clean up our cuts, and then you can sleep for a while, I promise," his voice rumbled as he helped her stand to remove her remaining garment. Pressed against his bare warm body, Hermione gladly let Harry lead her over to the large tub. Keeping hold of her hands, Harry stepped in the steamy water first, and then braced her at the hips as she gingerly stepped into the water. It was steamy, hot, and bubbly, and she sighed in happiness despite her aches and the burns on her legs. She had been looking forward to this for a long time….No, she was happy she was even alive to enjoy a hot bath after the past year. She scowled to herself a bit at this last realization, and was interrupted as Harry tugged on her hips. She slowly sank into the water with him, feeling both pleasure and pain as the hot water covered her body. Harry leaned against the edge of the tub with a content sigh and pulled her to lie against him, cradling her against his chest.

Hermione let out an unrestrained moan as the hot water slightly eased the ache that hadn't left her bones since the fiasco at Malfoy Manor. Since her torture she had felt aged beyond her years, falling asleep and waking up each day with the same constant pain. Too much physical exertion and stress only made it worse, not to mention that they had been next to starving for months. Her body was no longer healing properly, and even the heinous word that had been cut into her arm was barely scabbed over; it often broke open and started trickling blood.

After sitting for a while in companionable silence Hermione felt the tired darkness closing in around her eyes, so closed them where she lay against Harry's chest. From her position on the edge of sleep, Hermione felt something soft being run over her body, and smiled as she felt her body wake up and respond to Harry's intimate caresses as he cleaned her up. Pain was something that she was constantly aware of in her day-to-day life, since her torture, so to experience pleasure felt that much more heightened to her senses. When they had been hunting Horcruxes and camping, most days she thought all day about how she would get to share a bed with Harry that night and they would have a chance to share intimate caresses and kisses in the dark. Her body was too sore to tolerate any more than that, but the thought of their time together would get her through each long painful day.

Hermione felt Harry's lips suckle gently at her earlobe, slowly moving down her neck and shoulder, as his other hand caressed her breasts and stomache softly, careful not to touch any sore spots. She didn't hold back her moan, and Harry's hand slowly moved down to caress her downy lips, causing her to shiver as he rubbed his finger down the middle of them. She pushed her hips against his hands, wanting him to open her up and touch her sensitive flesh.

"Careful Hermione, don't move too much. Just relax and let me do the work." He breathed in her ear. This was a familiar dance for them. She stopped herself from her eager movements, knowing he was right, and concentrated on feeling what he was doing while she kept her eyes closed.

His finger pushed in farther between her lips, and suddenly Harry was rubbing her clit under the water. He reached his other hand down at the same time to gently spread her legs farther apart between his, then spread her lips open wide, continuing his stroking with his other hand. Hermione gripped his legs tightly under the water, and her head lolled against his chest with her moans as she felt warm pleasure radiating from where he was stroking her. She started clenching and unclenching her hands rhythmically on Harry leg as an orgasm grew from inside her core, and her body unconsciously began to move against his hand. Harry knew she was close to orgasm and started stroking her harder as he used his other hand to slowly push two fingers into her and curl them to stroke her other sensitive spot with the same rhythm. She gasped as she felt her pleasure get to a peak and then explode inside her, so powerful she could almost feel her eyes roll back as her muscles convulsed around Harry's fingers and he slowly stroked her down.

Her head lolled back on Harry's chest as pleasurable warmth ran through her body, temporarily chasing away her nagging pain. She sighed in pleasure, and Harry moved to wrap his warm arms around her body, content to hold her quietly and enjoy her weight on his chest.

"I love you, Hermione." He whispered in her ear. She knew they had so much more to say to each other, having not known if they would even be alive to see each other again, but for tonight she was content to enjoy his arms around her and deal with the repercussions of the war tomorrow.

"I love you too, Harry." She turned her head upwards and planted a soft kiss along his jaw, keeping her lips in place as he hugged her.

They sat contentedly for a while, letting the hot water take away their troubles, but Hermione began to get restless as her aches and pains seeped back into her consciousness. For the first time since the battle she could feel the throbbing of the gash on her back, and the sharp ache of her ribs, on top of the normal bone-deep ache in her body. Harry sensed what was happening with her, based on her uncomfortable movements, and carefully helped her lay back so he could wash her hair and get them out of the bath. After she was clean Hermione helped wash Harry off as best she could, then accepted his help climbing out of the bath and getting wrapped in a warm towel.

Harry led Hermione back to the bed and helped her sit down on the edge. He left her for a moment to grab her beaded bag, removing their small bottle of Dittany, and grabbed his wand. He sat behind Hermione on the bed and unstopped the dittany to drip a bit of the potion on her still-trickling back wound. He frowned as he watched it very slowly start to heal and only close over enough to stop the bleeding. It was still inflamed and bruised. He then dripped some dittany on the back of her leg, using his hand to spread it around the burn, and again watched as it only partially healed. He performed the same action on her other leg, which also only half healed. He performed the spell on her ribs to mend the cracked bones, successfully, but the bruise covering her side remained. Although Harry had known this would probably happen, he had hoped Hermione would be soon able to start healing properly; her ability to heal had been almost non-existent since Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured her with black magic, so Harry could only assume that the curse was the reason. Hermione was watching his face apprehensively, knowing her body was still not healing properly, and he gave her a smile to comfort her.

"We'll find an answer Hermione, don't worry, you'll be back to normal again soon." He said, as reassuringly as he could. She gave him a quick smile, then took the bottle of Dittany from his hands and started dabbing it over his cuts. Harry healed quickly and in a short time was nearly unmarred. Feeling better after having a bath and being healed, Harry quickly walked behind them to pull down the covers of the bed, then helped Hermione stand up and walk to the edge of the bed, removing her towel as he helped her lay down and get tucked under the blankets. Harry walked around the room to blow out the many candles, feeling comforted to do it the muggle way, and left a couple flickering beside the bed. He also placed his and Hermione's wands and his glasses beside their bed, not able to give up the thought of "constant vigilance", even though the battle was over. He removed his own fluffy towel and climbed in bed beside Hermione, holding her as close as he could without hurting her. They had started sleeping bare together a few weeks ago; after the close call at Malfoy Manor and the uncertainty of their future getting closer, they both craved to be as close as possible to each other, and his warm body also relieved Hermione of some discomfort. There was something about sleeping next to the person you love with bare skin that felt so raw and intimate, Harry thought as he gave Hermione a kiss on her forehead where it was tucked under his chin. He sighed as he settled down to sleep. This was the first time in about a year they had slept in a comfortable bed and did not have to worry about horcruxes, setting up wards, or keeping watch. They both felt into an exhausted but relaxed sleep very quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER FOUR

Harry woke up to near darkness. One of the candles he had left lit was sputtering as it struggled to stay lit in a pool of wax, the others already having been snuffed. Harry carefully reached across the still-sleeping Hermione to grab his glasses and wand. When the world came into sharper focus he looked down to check on Hermione. She still seemed deep asleep, her face relaxed though pale. She was sleeping on her side facing away from him, and Harry could still see her cut and burns standing out in contrast on her skin when he eased down the blanket. He carefully crawled out of bed, being careful to not jostle her, and grabbed the bottle of dittany after he put his shorts back on and lit a couple of candles. His body was stiff and a bit achy as he moved around, nothing a couple days' rest wouldn't take care of. He unstopped the dittany and carefully dripped it onto her back and legs, watching in frustration as the wounds lost only a small amount of their redness.

He pulled the covers back up around her and sat back on the bed with his head and arms resting on his knees. For a while he simply watched her breathe, loose curls around her face moving with her slow breaths. His mind wandered over the past year of their lives, from the time Dumbledore died to the moment Voldemort fell. He never expected to come out of this journey alive, which was why he had so heavily rejected Ron and Hermione coming with him; they deserved a chance at living a full life, deserved to make it out of their teens alive and well. However it was the company of his friends, and especially Hermione, that actually led to the defeat of Voldemort in the end. He wouldn't have succeeded on his own, he knew that now. Hermione probably always knew that the three of them would have to put their life in the gamble together to save the wizarding world, he realized.

When he and Hermione had finally admitted their love for each other, after years of dancing around it, Harry had been initially conflicted about starting a relationship because he was so sure about his impending death. He would never stop loving her, but why put her through the extra heartbreak of remembering their relationship and having it cut short very prematurely when he died? He finally admitted his worry to her and she had made him see that they should enjoy the time they had together just in case something did happen to him, and that he had also better not die after she had spent 7 years trying to keep him alive (this last part was both a joke and a serious statement). He was glad he listened to her because they had a chance to enjoy months of a happy relationship, the only bright star in their year of dark nights, so to speak. Their relationship had become very serious very fast, and they had shared some deeply intimate moments before the events at Malfoy Manor and Gringotts. If he had died in the final battle, he would have died a very happy man, he thought with a smile.

Suddenly, Harry heard the door begin to creak open and checked that he had his wand and that Hermione was fully covered before he turned to see who it was. He smiled as he saw Ron's shaggy red head appear in the wedge of the opened doorway.

"Harry? You both decent? Alright if I come in?" Ron whispered, not looking in the room to respect their privacy. Ron had easily accepted Harry and Hermione's relationship, having realized the year before that although he had always liked Hermione they would never make a good couple. He had turned a blind eye to their budding relationship while on the run, and surprisingly had not become jealous, though Harry and Hermione tried very hard to make sure their relationship was not very observable while in Ron's company out of respect for their friend and confined living quarters.

"Come in, mate. Hermione's still sleeping though." Harry whispered back to him, smiling as he watched Ron back into the room carrying a steaming tray piled with food. Ron, with a quietness that he had never been able to manage before the past year, set down the tray on the bedside table and came to stand beside the sleeping Hermione.

"She still doesn't look too good, Harry, what's wrong with her? She hasn't been right all month." Ron looked at Harry with a small scowl on his face, and Harry knew that Hermione would have to tell him soon that her torture had lasting effects because obviously Ron had noticed she wasn't well.

*FLASHBACK*

_Hermione hadn't actually wanted to tell either of them that she was still suffering in the weeks after Malfoy Manor, and she was not one to complain or draw attention to herself. As she later told Harry they had enough to worry about without focusing on her pains, and at least she was able to still walk and function to some degree. Typical Hermione, Harry thought, always putting everyone else before herself. Well, not anymore, he vowed. She had been very quiet throughout the week after her torture but just told the boys she was tired from her ordeal, which was believable enough. One night the following week Harry and Ron were sleeping while Hermione kept watch outside the tent. Harry woke up to use the bathroom and decided to keep Hermione company outside for a while, not having had much private time with her lately. He quietly walked to the entrance of the tent and stopped as he could hear a quiet, muffled moan. He went into defence mode immediately and snuck up to peek out the tent, not knowing what he was going to find. He looked around the clearing and saw nothing around, then looked down at his girlfriend. She was curled up into herself, cheek lying against her knees, her body was trembling despite being covered in a few blankets. Her eyes were closed and face pinched, and he saw a tear squeezing out of her closed lid. He didn't announce himself right away but instead watched her; she wasn't even aware of his presence. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him, and she had made sure it was dark when she was changing her clothes since her torture. Finally he had had enough of watching her, and knew he had to confront her._

"_Hermione…" he said quietly, moving to kneel in front of her, "you need to tell me what's wrong. And don't say it's nothing, because I won't believe you," as he placed his hand on the side of her face. She had startled when he spoke to her out of the silence, and was now staring at him looking very vulnerable and very un-Hermione-like (as Ron liked to put it). She didn't say anything for a minute, they did something Harry never expected and told him the truth without him needing to push or convince her._

"_I…I…hurt…all the time Harry," she sniffled, "everything hurts...I've tried what healing charms I know and nothing helps…even sleeping doesn't help." She looked away from Harry, unhappy that she had shared that much with him when she was trying so hard to keep it to herself._

"_What do you mean by everywhere? How long have you felt like this?" He had asked her worriedly, knowing this was serious. He moved closer and put his hands on her shoulders which made her look back at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment. She gestured to herself before speaking. _

"_My…whole body is…sore. The only way I can think to describe it is like the pain you feel in your bones when you get the flu, but…much worse and just all over...I can't sleep properly…it won't let me. It was from the cruciatus, Harry, I know it was. There isn't a lot of published information on the side effects of the cruciatus, Harry, so I'm not sure if this is normal, or how long this will last…" _

_Harry almost smiled as Hermione began rambling in her teacher mode, but his worry increased as he considered what she had said. "Is there anything else, Hermione? Anything else that happened as a result of the…curse?"_

_She looked down without saying anything, and he knew there was more to hear. She picked up her left arm, from where it was clenched to her stomache, and flinched as she started to pull up her sleeve. Her arm was still bandaged with material and after she fumbled for a moment trying to unwind it, Harry gently moved her hand away and began to neatly roll away the fabric. He exposed the edge of her wound and was surprised to see it still raw and puffy. It looked like it had just happened, not like it was 2 weeks old. He quickly unwound the rest of the bandage and gasped as the word 'mudblood' stood out to him, raw in her skin. The bandage in his hand showed evidence that the wound was still bleeding._

"_Hermione…this is barely healed at all! What's wrong with it?" Harry asked with quiet desperation. Hermione pulled her arm back to cradle against her body, fresh tears making her eyes shine. _

"_Harry…I'm not really healing at all. I have other bruises and cuts and they're just starting to barely heal now…something is wrong with me." Hermione bowed her head as tears started tracking down her cheeks. Harry suddenly realized how critical of a situation this was, his worry only increased by the fact that Hermione was actually crying. Harry reached around her balled-up body to pull her against him, not knowing what to say. They sat in silence as Hermione attempted to dry her tears. _

"_Hermione, I promise you that I will help you, you don't need to suffer alone. We'll try to find a cure for this curse, there has to be something someone can do. I promise. I love you, Hermione, I'll be by your side…Now, let's go inside so I can take a look at your other cuts, and then you can try to get some sleep. We should have never let you take watch. You're going inside, you don't have an option." Harry smiled at her through his last comment knowing the first thing she would do is protest not finishing her watch, even if she was missing a limb and bleeding all over the ground in front of the tent. He stood up then reached down and gently helped Hermione up. They quietly walked through the tent to her private area, not waking Ron up, and Harry cast 'silencio' on the curtains around her room after he made her sit on the edge of her bed. Harry placed his hands on the hem of her jumper and waited for her permission. She nodded, and he carefully helped her out of her clothes, wrapping her in a warm blanket after he finished. She kept her eyes on the floor as he looked her over, and he guessed she was nervous for him to see the state of her body. Harry's searching eyes were not happy with what they saw. She had been gradually losing weight since they had begun hunting for Horcruxes, and now he could see that her torture and its after-effects had taken its toll. He could easily see the lines of her ribs, and her body was pale and looked weak. There were fresh-looking bruises marring her torso and back, from Bellatrix's and the snatcher's rough treatment Harry guessed, and scrapes and cuts that were still puffy and healing. He grabbed Hermione's beaded bag from where it sat on her bed and pulled out the dittany. He dripped the potion on one of the larger cuts and was amazed to see it didn't completely heal over; instead, the scab grew only slightly. _

"_It won't work Harry, I've tried everything I know…"_

_He frowned as he sat down beside her, worried about the danger this put his friend in. _

"_Please don't tell Ron, Harry, I don't want you both to be worrying about me." Harry knew that Hermione did not like people hovering over her, so just nodded his consent. He wrapped his arm around her back and met her forehead with his. They hadn't exchanged words after that, but instead Harry undressed and went to bed. After Harry slid in behind her and wrapped her in his arms, Hermione felt her body slightly relax and managed to drift to sleep. They hadn't slept apart since that night. _

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"You'll have to ask her mate, it's not my story to tell, but I will say that I am so glad for her sake that this war is over," Harry murmured seriously. Both boys sat quietly for a moment until Harry interrupted the silence. "Was that breakfast you brought, Ron?" Harry asked, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.

The boys grabbed the tray and moved to sit at a table that had appeared on the far side of the room, saving Hermione's breakfast for when she woke up. They ate in happy silence for a while enjoying a meal that was larger than anything they had seen in a year, but weren't able to eat as much as they once had due to shrunken stomaches. Harry mock-glared at his unfinished breakfast, muttering "I _will_ eat you…"

Ron chuckled at his friend's antics. " …Ah well mate, more for Hermione then. Maybe she'll put the two of us to shame," he said as he rubbed his full stomache in contentment. Suddenly they heard a groggy voice from the far side of the room.

"I generally do, I'll have you know," Hermione mumbled from the bed, "and did I hear something about breakfast?" The two boys laughed at her last comment, which sounded so much like something Ron himself would say.

Harry slowly stood up and made his way back over to the bed. Hermione was still laying on her side with her eyes closed, and he could see her flexing her stiff joints under the blanket. He sat down beside her and rubbed her back through the blanket.

"Ron brought us all breakfast. Do you feel like getting up or shall I bring it to you here?" Hermione lay still for a moment then opened her eyes and turned her pale face to Harry. She gave him a small smile, then looked over at Ron.

"Well, I think I'd like to get up, but there's this small issue of not having any clothes on…" she said cheekily, giggling quietly as she saw Ron's face turn red across the room. Harry laughed, then stood up to search the beaded bag for a fresh set of her clothes, pulling out a clean-ish pair of jeans and shirt of his own as well. As he made his way back over to the bed, he saw Ron turn his chair away from them.

Hermione slowly rolled onto her back, wincing at the change of position. Harry gave her a moment, and then put his hands behind her shoulders to slowly help her sit. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as her aching body protested the movement, but stayed quiet because Ron was in the room. Once she was sitting, Harry grabbed the other pillows on the bed and propped them behind her back. He held up his large quidditch t-shirt for her approval, and she smiled and held out her arms so he could help her put it on. He quickly followed with a pair of shorts, and stopped her before she could start moving off the bed. He took her left leg in his hands and began to deeply massage up her leg from her foot, being careful to avoid the burns and bruises. As it often did, his massage brought her some relief, and she quietly sighed and closed her eyes as Harry repeated his movements on her other leg, shoulders and arms. After he was done, she smiled her thanks at him and let him help her out of the bed and over to the table.

As Hermione sat down Ron gave her a large smile and moved closer to wrap her in a large hug as he kissed her cheek. She wrapped her arms back around Ron's wide back and let herself enjoy the moment with one of her best friends, her eyes tearing up slightly as she remembered the battle. They didn't need to exchange words, each friend feeling grateful that the other was still there. They stayed in their embrace for a few long moments until Hermione's stomache growled loudly. Hermione stared embarrassed at the boys as Ron laughed.

"Harry, I think I _have_ been a bad influence on her!" The three of them laughed together as Harry put a warming spell on the remaining food and began to pile it on Hermione's plate, Ron fixing her a cup of tea the way she liked it. She closed her eyes as she took a sip of tea, not having had a proper cuppa in a year, and enjoying it immensely. Harry and Ron sat quietly chatting as she ate her breakfast, each one enjoying the normalcy of the moment.

**A/N: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the beginning chapters of this story. I will update this story regularly as I write it and will be definitely completing it; it's all planned out in my head, I just need to write it down! I know there is nothing more frustrating than getting into a story and then finding out it was abandoned or last updated years ago. As I wrote in the story summary, this story is focused around Hermione and how she was affected during and after the war. As I read Deathly Hallows, I felt as though her character probably experienced a lot more hardship than the story let on, and knew I had to write my own story to satisfy my curiosity. Please feel free to leave me comments and constructive criticism, but if you are just commenting to complain about my choice of relationships, story focus, perception of the Harry Potter world, etc. then I don't need to hear it because this is my version of the Harry/Hermione story pre-epilogue, take it or leave it! Thanks everyone, enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER FIVE

After they had spent a while chatting about anything but the previous year, Ron had gone back up to be with his family, and stop his mum from fretting about them. Hermione was currently lounging in the hot bath with her head propped up on a towel, eyes closed, as she soaked in the relieving heat of the water. Harry was going through the beaded bag for something to do as he lounged in the big bed, currently leafing through Hermione's copy of _Beadle the Bard_, keeping a watchful eye on his girlfriend.

He passed the page that showed the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and thought of Dumbledore, whose actions as a young man had led to so much regret in his long life over a want for eternal life. Harry hoped Dumbledore would live peacefully in the afterlife knowing that the Elder Wand was gone for good, and one person could no longer possess the three Hallows. For a moment after Voldemort was killed, Harry considered keeping the Elder Wand, knowing it could be instrumental in helping the Wizarding world repair itself from this long war. But as quickly as that idea came to him, it was replaced with the knowledge that it could do more harm than good if it fell into the wrong hands again. It could cause another war. He had thought to himself, the Elder Wand shouldn't exist in their world. In his hands, the wand had begun to vibrate and get hot. It suddenly turned into dust in his hand and fell to the floor. He stared at the pile on the floor for a moment, not knowing what had happened, and quickly reached into his back pocket where his "borrowed" wand was tucked under his shirt; he hoped no one had seen. Suddenly the room had erupted around him and they were once again battling against the remaining Death Eaters, the dust of the Elder Wand trampled beneath the feet of the battle. He would have to talk to Hermione about what had happened to the wand, once they were all thinking properly again, he knew she would be able to figure it out. Either way, he was relieved no one would be able to possess the wand again.

Harry snapped out of his musings over the Elder Wand when he heard a sigh break the quiet air. He looked over to Hermione and saw her head tipped to the side and her eyes closed. He smiled, knowing she had fallen asleep in the bathtub, but decided she was safe where she lay. There was a large dinner planned for the evening in celebration of the battle, so they would eventually have to come out of their room.

Suddenly, Harry heard a quiet knock on the door and slowly walked over to open it and see Ron and Ginny standing on the other side. Harry put a finger to his smiling lips to indicate they should be quiet, looking back to make sure Hermione was covered in bubbles before he let them in. She wouldn't appreciate it if Harry let Ron see her starkers, even by accident. Ginny walked through the door after Ron, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck and hugging him in a sisterly manner.

"I've missed you, big brother," she mumbled from where her face was pressed to Harry's shoulder, "I…I thought you were…I thought you were dead…If we had lost you…"

Harry squeezed his arms tighter around her, feeling his eyes tear up at her distress, knowing that the reality of the past year and the Battle was starting to catch up with them. The morning had been such a haze to everyone; no one had wanted to remember they had just fought a battle, and seen so much death and gore. "I missed you too, Gin. I'm sorry…But everything worked out, we're all here still."

Ginny pulled herself away from him and gave him a teary smile and nod, wiping her tears off her cheeks with her sleeve.

"We came down here to let you two know that they're serving the feast in the Grand Hall in a bit. Mum wanted to come get you both, but we figured you wanted a few more minutes of peace before being smothered," Ginny half-joked with him, knowing her mum wouldn't leave Harry alone when she saw him again. "We've been holding her back ever since everyone woke up, I hope you both appreciate it. She was really worried about Hermione, is she alright? I know you guys have probably gone through a lot, Ron won't talk about it, but was she right to be worried?" Ginny pierced him with a searching look, as if hoping his face would tell her what had happened that past year.

Harry didn't know what to say to Ginny. He couldn't tell her, but didn't want to deny it, so just shrugged his shoulders. Ginny seemed to understand because she didn't say any more about it, and just looked over at Hermione with a worried face.

"I should probably wake her up if we're going to make it to dinner. Ginny, would you mind searching through that beaded bag on the bed for a pair of her clothes? There must be something clean in there." Ginny walked over sit on the bed and rifled through the bag, smiling when she saw her arm disappear into its depths.

Harry walked over to the still-sleeping Hermione after he had grabbed a fresh towel and knelt beside her at the edge of the tub. He wished he could let her sleep more, but knew she didn't want to miss the feast tonight. Like Harry, she had always seen Hogwarts as a home, and they had both missed it over the past year. Harry placed his hand on the side of her face.

"Hermione…come on, it's time to wake up now…You're turning into a raisin…If you don't get up soon all the pudding will gone." He knew how much she loved the Hogwart's pudding. Hermione yawned as she woke up, smiling up at Harry.

"Am I still in the tub?" She asked him, disoriented from her nap.

"Yup, now let me help you out and we can get ready for dinner. Ginny and Ron are here waiting for us." Hermione looked around as he said this, seeing Ginny wave from the bed and Ron staring at the far wall, seemingly waiting for her to get out of the bath. She nodded at Harry and stood up stiffly, letting him wrap the warm towel around her and help her out of the bath. Harry put his arm around her waist and helped her to sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing the dittany from the pile of items Ginny had taken out of the bed in her search for clothes. Hermione's back was facing Harry and Ginny, and Harry took this chance to shake his head at Ginny, trying to tell her not to react. Ginny looked confused at Harry, but understood as he pulled down the back of the towel and exposed Hermione's marred back. She watched as he once again dripped the dittany on the wound and it only slightly healed a bit more. Harry saw Ginny knit her eyebrows together, confused that it hadn't worked. Harry quickly knelt in front of Hermione and dabbed more of the healing potion on the back of her legs, as well as the word carved into her arm. It was a little further healed, but still raw and scabbed. Hermione was unaware of Ginny's horrified stare at her arm from behind her back, still feeling half-asleep and dazed.

Harry walked to the side of the bed to grab the pile of clothes that Ginny had pulled out, and Hermione seemed to wake up fully at that moment realize that both Ginny and Ron were in the room as Harry was about to help her put her clothes on. Although it was a routine that she and Harry were used to, she was embarrassed to have Ginny know that she and Harry were this comfortable together.

"Umm, Harry, I can take care of that, Ginny will help me if I need it. Really, it's okay…" She smiled at Harry, who looked confused at her for a moment, then nodded his head. After he had walked away to go talk to Ron, she slowly started to put her clothes on, wincing as her body protested the motion, a combination of the strain from the battle and her ongoing pain from the cruciatus. Ginny suddenly appeared in front of her and smiled as she helped Hermione pull on the rest of her clothes. After she was done, Hermione stood and clasped her friend in a tight hug, having missed her closest girlfriend and sister over the year. She felt tears fall from her eyes and onto Ginny's shoulder, and felt her friend reacting the same way. She pulled away from Ginny after a few long moments, and grabbed Ginny's hands in her own, giving her a watery smile. Ginny gave her a cheeky smile and looked obviously over to Harry, who was on the other side of the room chatting with Ron, and looked back at her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Hermione just laughed and shrugged her shoulders, feeling her cheeks go red.

"I knew it!" Ginny mouthed to her, giggling. "well, we should probably get to dinner now, or mum will really come looking for us!" She grabbed Hermione's hand, and started to lead her to the door. "Come on boys, let's go get some dinner, I'm famished!"

Harry and Ron followed the girls to the door, smiling at Ginny's exuberance over having Hermione back and dinnertime. Harry felt conflicted over leaving this room, which had been his and Hermione's safe haven in the short 12 hours that had passed since the battle. He had made himself forget about the deaths he had witnessed, the partially destroyed castle, the friends and professors to unite with. He would need to face it all now, as the Boy Who Lived once again. He wasn't ready, but how could anyone be prepared for this, really? He walked through the door and set his shoulders, prepared to deal with whatever would greet him.

_Hi everyone, this is a short chapter but I thought it would be a good lead-in to what is going to happen next in the story. I won't give the details away, but Harry and Hermione will have to deal with the castle cleanup, St. Mungo's, the death of two friends, and eventually Australia. Thanks to everyone who has been following this story so far, I have big plans! _


End file.
